Here’s what President Trump just did.
President Donald Trump honored one of the most celebrated heroes of September 11 on Tuesday, posthumously awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Welles Crowther, the 24-year-old volunteer firefighter and equities trader remembered as the “Man in the Red Bandana.”
Nearly 25 years after the terrorist attacks that changed America forever, Crowther’s family accepted the nation’s highest civilian honor in recognition of his extraordinary actions inside the World Trade Center’s South Tower.
Crowther is credited with helping save numerous people trapped inside the burning skyscraper before losing his own life when the tower collapsed.
His story has endured for nearly a quarter-century as an example of courage, sacrifice and the willingness to put the lives of strangers ahead of one’s own.
Trump Honors the “Man in the Red Bandana”
Trump awarded the medal at the Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s “Steel Across America” gathering in Washington, D.C., which brought together first responders, Gold Star families and other attendees to honor those who died and those who showed extraordinary courage on September 11, 2001.
The president used part of his remarks to recount what Crowther faced inside the South Tower.
After United Airlines Flight 175 struck the building, people near the 78th-floor sky lobby found themselves surrounded by destruction, fire and heavy smoke.
Many were badly injured.
Then Crowther appeared.
Survivors would later remember the young man who helped them by one particularly distinctive feature: the red bandana he wore over his face.
Crowther began directing survivors toward a usable stairway and assisting people who were unable to escape without help.
But rather than simply continuing toward safety himself, he went back.
Again and again, Crowther returned to help others.
A 24-Year-Old Who Ran Toward Danger
Crowther was working as an equities trader at the time of the attacks, but he was also a trained volunteer firefighter.
That experience would become critically important on September 11.
At just 16 years old, Crowther became a member of Empire Hook & Ladder Company No. 1 in Upper Nyack, New York, carrying on the firefighting tradition of his father, Jefferson.
Years of firefighter training prepared him to respond to an emergency most Americans could never have imagined.
Inside the South Tower, Crowther reportedly helped extinguish fires, directed survivors toward an escape route and physically assisted people who were too badly injured to make it out alone.
He is credited with helping save as many as 18 people that morning.
Crowther never made it home.
He was killed at age 24 when the South Tower collapsed.
The Red Bandana Became a Symbol of 9/11 Heroism
In the chaotic aftermath of the attacks, some of the survivors Crowther helped did not know the identity of the young man who had come to their rescue.
They remembered his red bandana.
That seemingly small detail eventually helped connect their stories to Crowther.
The bandana itself had a deeply personal history.
Crowther’s father had given him a red bandana when he was a boy, and Welles continued carrying one as he grew older.
After September 11, it became much more than a family keepsake.
It became a symbol of his sacrifice.
The story of the “Man in the Red Bandana” subsequently spread across America, ensuring that Crowther’s final acts would not disappear into the enormous tragedy of that day.
Presidential Medal of Freedom Awarded to Crowther
During Tuesday’s ceremony, Trump announced that Crowther would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
It is the highest civilian honor awarded by the United States.
Trump said the recognition honored Crowther’s extraordinary bravery as well as the countless acts of heroism carried out by Americans during the September 11 attacks.
Crowther’s mother, Alison, and his sister, Paige, accepted the medal on his behalf.
For the Crowther family, the ceremony marked another chapter in a story they have spent nearly 25 years sharing with the country.
Alison Crowther reflected on the lasting impact of her son’s life, saying his example of courage, compassion and concern for others continues to inspire people today.
She also credited the volunteer fire department where her son learned the skills he would ultimately use inside the World Trade Center.
That training helped prepare Crowther for the moment when hundreds of lives around him were suddenly in danger.
On an ordinary day, he was a young man working in finance.
On September 11, his firefighter instincts took over.
Trump Remembers America’s 9/11 Heroes
Crowther was not the only September 11 hero remembered during the Washington ceremony.
Trump spoke broadly about the first responders and ordinary Americans who demonstrated remarkable courage after terrorists attacked the United States.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and aboard Flight 93.
Among those who made the ultimate sacrifice were 343 members of the New York City Fire Department, 23 members of the New York City Police Department and 37 members of the Port Authority Police Department.
The president said the country must continue honoring their sacrifice and remembering what Americans endured that day.
As the 25th anniversary approaches, that message carries particular significance for millions of Americans who can still remember exactly where they were when the first reports of the attacks emerged.
World Trade Center Steel Makes Its Way Across America
Standing near the ceremony was another powerful reminder of September 11: a massive piece of steel recovered from the South Tower.
The 21-foot beam weighs approximately 16,000 pounds and has been transported across the United States as part of Tunnel to Towers’ “Steel Across America” tour.
It has traveled more than 10,500 miles.
The journey gives Americans far beyond New York an opportunity to see a physical piece of the World Trade Center and remember the lives lost when the towers fell.
For younger Americans who were not alive in 2001, the steel also serves as a tangible connection to an event they know primarily through history books, photographs and stories from their parents and grandparents.
Trump described the battered steel as a reminder not only of the destruction inflicted that morning, but also of the resilience demonstrated afterward.
The Volunteer Firefighter Behind the Wall Street Job
One of the most remarkable parts of Crowther’s story is the contrast between his everyday profession and his actions during the attack.
He worked in finance.
But underneath the suit and tie was a trained firefighter.
Volunteer fire departments remain a fixture of communities throughout the United States, relying on men and women who have regular careers, businesses and families but respond when an emergency occurs.
Crowther was one of them.
His mother emphasized during the ceremony that her son’s training at Empire Hook & Ladder Company helped make his rescue efforts possible.
When disaster struck, he knew how to respond.
The distinction between his Wall Street career and his firefighting background disappeared.
There were people who needed help.
Crowther answered the call.
A 9/11 Story America Hasn’t Forgotten
There were countless acts of bravery on September 11, many of which may never be fully known.
Crowther’s story survived because the people he helped survived.
They remembered the stranger who appeared through the smoke.
They remembered him directing people toward safety.
Most of all, they remembered the red bandana.
Those accounts eventually allowed his family to understand what their 24-year-old son had done during the final moments of his life.
He had opportunities to keep moving toward safety.
Instead, he returned to help others.
That decision cost him his life, but it gave others a chance to live theirs.
Nearly 25 Years Later, America Still Remembers
The Presidential Medal of Freedom ensures that Crowther’s name will now be formally recorded among Americans who have received the country’s highest civilian honor.
But his legacy began long before Tuesday’s ceremony.
It began inside a burning skyscraper when a young volunteer firefighter encountered people who desperately needed help.
Crowther did not know the people he was rescuing.
They did not know him.
That didn’t matter.
For Americans who lived through September 11, his story is another reminder of what emerged alongside the horror of that day: extraordinary acts of courage, duty and self-sacrifice.
Nearly a quarter-century later, America continues to remember the firefighters, police officers, emergency personnel, military members and civilians whose lives were forever changed on September 11, 2001.
Welles Crowther is among those whose actions have become part of that history.
He went into work that morning as a 24-year-old equities trader.
When America came under attack, he responded as a firefighter.
And the red bandana he carried with him became an enduring symbol of an American who chose to risk everything to save others.
